12.11.2013

Gil Scott-Heron, Nelson Mandela, South Africa and Johannesburg -

The passing of President Nelson
Mandela has made me think of Gil Scott-Heron quite a bit lately. He was
a dear friend. In calling out the pantheon of leaders who will be
there to great Mandela, I'm sure Gil will be one of them. He wrote the
landmark song, Johannesburg in 1975, when people were not even focusing
on the horrors that were taking place over there. I daresay most
African Americans either know the song, or know the music. So in honor
of Gil and President Mandela, I'm reprising the article:

June 2, 2011GilScott-Heron: Some Last Lasting Thoughts

By Gloria Dulan-Wilson

GilScott-Heron - poet, musician, activist, and now, ANCESTOR - is
primarily known for his work in the late 1960s, 70s and 1980s as a "spoken
word" performer. In some circles, he is known as a Griot. And while
there are those who want to type cast him as a prelude to “hip hop“, I
beg to differ strenuously, since the Gil primarily spoke positively
about Blackness as a quality, did not disparage Black women, or
families.

Gil, who I am proud to say was my classmate at Lincoln University
(and was smart enough to leave and pursue a calling from his soul),
combined poetry with rhythm and blues, jazz, and funk and raised
critical political and social issues. He has received much recognition
and acclaim for one of his most well-known compositions "The Revolution
Will Not Be Televised," as well as for “Winter In America,” “Whitie’s
on The Moon”, “In The Bottle,” "Johannesburg," among a great many others.

His contemporary body of work is even more compelling as he bears
witness to the fact that history has proven the truth of his words. The
Griot in him comes out as anecdote after anecdote about the inspirations
behind his pieces are shared with the audience. He reveals his unique
humor and insight into the powerful dynamics spirit has on life as we
know it.

All bones and angles, Gil who stood about 6’1”, got the “Rabble”
name of “Spyderman” at Lincoln University, because of his gangly
appearance. The affectionate title has stuck throughout the years with
those of us who knew and loved him from Black in the day til now. His
bold move to step out and follow his dream inspired many of us to take
chances we probably would never have taken, in an era when we had been
taught the only way to succeed was to get a good education and a good
job. To our minds Gil defied both and won.

He was our hero, our voice - and later the voice for so many. He
was however a hero with flaws - with his own challenges - in need of a
hero of his own. Something I’m afraid he never really found,
ironically, during all his travels, writing, soliloquies. He did/does
however, have legions of admirers, who, like myself, love him as a
brother/friend; respect him for never giving up, despite the
insurmountable odds he apparently faced; and for always having the
wisdom and presence of mind to use each and every little facet of life
as an eloquent teachable moment via verse and song.

It has been my privilege and pleasure to have written a word or two
about my brother/friend GilScott-Heron over the past thirty or more
years. The impact he has had on the Black community and the world at
large vis a vis his music and lyrical activism has been nothing short of
phenomenal.

In practically every article I write, I point up the fact that when
were students at Lincoln University, in Pennsylvania, I and several
other classmates, after having heard him sing during a talent
competition, early on told Gil he could not sing, and that he would fall
flat on his face if he pursued such a career. Thank goodness he didn’t
listen to us, and went the great Griot/troubador he was/is.

When you listen to GilScottHeron’s lyrics, you find yourself
nodding, or sighing, in agreement. Things that make you go “hmmm”…!
Gil has always had the prescience that has caused this phenomena -- this
universal understanding that overarches generations, ethnicities,
social and economic strata. That explains why he is so loved and
appreciated by so many artists -- from jazz, to rock, to r&b to
hip-hop to rap.

It’s rather difficult to pinpoint his voice -- is he a bass, or is
he a tenor? His voice has a way of getting inside your mind. It’s
tailor made for the genre of music and the thought provoking lyrics that
go with it. I’ve known Gil for more than half my life -- -okay,
two-thirds of my life. Even though we don’t see each other more than
once or twice a year, I consider him a brother and a friend.

In a one-on-one interview with Gil that took place at his East
Harlem Studio in Mid-September, 2010, during Harlem Week, shortly after a
show he did at the Blue Note and a guest appearance in DC at Rock Creek
Park’s Carter Barron Amphitheatre, we talked about when he was going to
do his official autobiography. Something I felt was long overdue. He
told me that he often called himself his mother‘s biggest April Fool
joke, having been born on April 1.

GSH: A lot of times when I‘m performing, I can see her watching me,
telling me to sit up straight.” (Then he would bend over the key board
in an even more pronounced manner. Gil was always bucking authority.)
Although, I did do one thing she told me to do, and that was to go
back to college and complete my education - so I may have dropped out of
Lincoln U, but I do have a degree, thanks to her.”

He plays one of his song’s “I’m Going Home, Been out on the Road for
Much Too Long,” and explains that the Lyrics were actually fashioned
after an incident that actually occurred while he was on tour.

Gil
had become more and more become anecdotal in his performances, taking
additional time to give the history and story behind each song; or drop
other relevant information on his audience, much to their delight. He
was a great storyteller. His wry humor has a way of catching you
unawares.

The following is an excerpt from our last one on one interview:{NOTE: GSH - GilScottHeron; GDW - Gloria Dulan-Wilson}

GSH:
“I’m working on a new album. Several things we did never came out on
CD. So we are doing some compilations, re-issues and stuff off of my
label, the work that we are doing for Xcel is going to continue probably
next week down town with Electric Lady (Jimi Hendrix) studios, that’s
what we’ve been working on for 2010.” He named his label for his son
and daughter “Ramal-Gia Records”

GDW: “Are you like a few other creative people we know very well,
who write a lot of creative stuff, and it ends up on the shelf for 900
years until you get around to dealing with it again?”

GSH: (He
laughed) No, this came out in 1980. Most of the things came out then,
they came out like that, either they came out on vinyl or on stage. We
just like to reach back every once in a while to renew the message.

GDW: That’s great! So In addition to that, I need to play a little
catch up with you. Because the last time I did an interview with you
was about ten years ago! I’m saying 200 years because it feels like it.

GSH: Yeah! I hear you. Yeah we do times ten on that.

GDW: And that was at SOB’s. We talked after the show that night for about an hour.

GSH:
We still play SOBs. We did the Blue Note, we do BB Kings in November,
and some other places around town. Like we VanGuard with Mos’ Def.
Like you can play New York like about 15 times and not see the same
people twice, because different people play in different places. You
get different crowds at different joints. Like the Knitting Factory is a
different crowd from SOBs; which is a different crowd from Blue Note
which is a different crowd from BBKing’s. I’ve never been there
before. I’ve been in there, but never played there before. So if you
go downtown, you know, we are known, we’ve been heard of, much more than
heard among all those people. We like to make it real for them, and
they make it real for us. To make it real for them we go to the
different places, you know where ever they are.

GDW: There was standing room only crowd at the Blue Note.

GSH: Yeah you know we had two of them.

GDW: Yeah, I believe it, because I came to the ten o’clock and I stood for the entire show.

GSH: Yeah it was nice to see a lot of folks I hadn’t seen for a long
time. They had been there, and I had been down the street. We had
played here and there. That’s just the circle you know. I hadn’t
played there in a long time in the Blue Note. The last time I played
the Blue Note, Prince was there.

GDW: That’s like 9 zillion years ago.

GSH: So it just
depends on where you are and how you run into folks. That’s how it is
in New York. Some people think that their block is the only one. So
where ever they’ve been, there may be nothing happening if you haven’t
been there.

GDW: The fact that we were standing shoulder to shoulder, elbow to
elbow that was a symbol of how much you’re loved in the community.

GSH:
You know that yeah and especially on a Sunday night, when people have
to go to work the next day; and during Harlem Week (when there’s so much
also going on uptown).

Subsequent to the above one-on-one interview, Gil performed with
young spoken word artist Talib Kweli, and Gary Bartz for the Tenth
National Black Writers Conference at Medgar Evers College, CUNY.
Collaborating with the politically and socially conscious hip hop artist
Talib Kweli, who brings a sense of spirituality and moral balance to
hip hop, is a natural alliance and collaboration for this electrifying
team of artists activists. And when you bring in award-winning jazz
saxophonist, Gary Bartz, this intergenerational collaboration signifies
an historic moment in time. Gary Bartz sums up the stance of this
intergenerational group of musician writers when he states, "After all
music doesn't belong to any one person. It belongs to the people, to
everybody." The music of GilScott-Heron, Talib Kweli and Gary Bartz
embody these words, for these artists create music that belongs to the
global village and that speaks to the soul, heart and spirit of people.

That was the last time I saw Gil perform live; though I have his cd
programmed into my computer so I can listen to it while I’m writing; and
I shot him a “Happy Birthday” email on April 1st, challenges of my own,
and his tours primarily being out of state and out of the country,
prevented me from seeing him again.

I know I speak for my classmates from Lincoln University, my own
family who knew and loved Gil, that he will surely be loved, revered and
remembered always. He’s up there with our dear friend and
documentarian, St. Clair Bourne - can you imagine the kind of magic
those two are going to concoct? AND OF COURSE, NOW WITH NELSON MANDELA -